As an administrator, you can download the Chrome MSI or the Chrome Enterprise Bundle. The bundle contains Chrome MSI, Chrome Legacy Browser Support (LBS) extension, and administrative policy templates. For information about setting up and deploying Chrome browser in your organization using the Chrome Enterprise Bundle, see Download Chrome Enterprise Bundle.

The instructions are for how to install the Chrome MSI in a Windows environment. To set up Chrome for an organization:

Download Chrome.

For Windows environments, download the Google Chrome Microsoft installer (MSI), which installs Chrome without an internet connection. For Mac and Linux environments, download the consumer version.

Chrome installs at the system level, giving all users on the machine access to the same instance of Chrome.

Configure Chrome preferences and policies.

Preferences are user settings that configure an individual instance of Chrome, while policies are administrator settings that configure multiple Chrome instances and override any conflicting user preferences.

Should a machine-level policy on a corporate-managed device come into conflict with a cloud-based policy set in the Admin console, the machine-level policy set in Windows Group Policy takes precedent.

Deployment tip: Many Windows administrators install Chrome using the MSI, and manage their users’ Chrome instance through Windows Group Policies (see below). Quick start guides with technical details on how to configure management policies for Chrome on Windows, Mac, and Linux are on the Chrome developer site.

In addition to device-based policies, you can optionally provide users with the convenience of having their work tabs sync, and pre-install Chrome apps, extensions, and themes when they sign in to Chrome from a non-work computer. These cloud policies are set in the Admin console and include most of the same 100+ policies that are available via Group Policies. They apply to a user no matter which device they use, when they sign in to Chrome with their G Suite account.

Create the organizational units that you want to set policies for, if you haven’t already. For example, full-time employees and contractors, or teachers and students.

Go to Device management > Chrome management > User settings and set the policies you want to configure for your organization. Note that many admins choose to leave the default settings in Chrome, and only configure settings such as startup pages, new tab pages, apps, and extensions.

When you’re done, click Save, and these policies will be enforced when your users sign in to Chrome with their G Suite accounts, no matter what computer they’re signing in with.

Unlike corporate-managed devices, these settings will only apply to a user’s personal computer when the user signs in to Chrome with their G Suite account. Common settings admins configure are startup pages, new tab pages, apps, extensions, and themes.

Group Policy settings (device-based settings) take precedence if there’s a conflict between Group Policy settings and cloud-managed policies on corporate-managed devices.

For user policies to work on users' Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, Chrome Management needs to be turned on for those users in the Admin console. An exception is if you purchase Chrome device management licenses. In that case, policies apply to users who sign in to a managed Chrome device, whether or not Chrome Management is turned on. For details, see Turn Chrome Management on or off.

If your organization wants to take advantage of the Chrome browser, but your users still need to access older website and apps that require Internet Explorer, you can use the Chrome Legacy Browser Support extension to switch automatically between Chrome and another browser. When your users click links that require a legacy browser to open, the URL will automatically be opened in the legacy browser from Chrome.